I hardly comment on Akwa Ibom State politics because seriously I stopped taking these folks seriously. I am a bona fide Ibibio. My focus here is about Akwa Ibom State, Governor Udom Emmanuel (who happens to come from ONNA, the local government my parents hailed from) and so called “Faith leaders,” who gamble with God’s name and experts in spiritual transactions. These men use the name of God as a currency in their want of relevance and self-driven lucre.
The subject of Psychology and Law, which I teach among other subjects have taught me certain unknowns of humanity. One of them is that humans deliberately test boundaries even when deep down the reality of the dangers and perils of the testing is well known to them. The recent display of arrogance by Governor Udom Emmanuel who like Napoleon of the relic Roman empire mounted and organized a political stunt of serious consequences in his public funded residence to proclaim his choice of Governor for Akwa Ibom States and loudly sending the “conquered” Akwa Ibom people a message of his preferred choice of a successor.
I have read lots of his supporters claiming he has the right to make a choice or choose whoever he desires to support in an elective exercise. This line of defense to me is mundane and elementary. That is never the issue. In fact, he does not have the right to use State funded resources to make such announcement but that’s a legal issue we can do a symposium on. The fundamental danger here is the unintended consequences of a sitting and lame duck elected political leader to restrict political space against potential and well qualified political aspirants who should come out so that the generality of Akwa Ibom people in a democracy will make a choice. I do not know what roles Udom Emmanuel played to fight against the military rule in Nigeria but I know lots of us contributed with blood and sweat to win this so-called democracy we are limping-along with now. So why should the governor use the color of his office to intimidate and scare and deprive Akwa Ibom from choosing the best Governorship Candidate.
I have refused to address this man that knelt his soul away in the pictures circulating all over the Internet because in my views he doesn’t have the capacity to lead a class room in an “Oluwole” elementary school neither the wherewithal of holding the prefectship of a community grammar school in my father’s village. I will come to him in a future piece if he survives the opposition that will floor and drown this so-called voice from god.
So, let us attempt for a minute to think when this arrogance from sitting Nigerian Governors and elected political office holders started. To be fair to Governor Udom, he did not start this misdirected political behavior. He has only taken it to some brazen and sheer charlatanic levels. Why is the Governor afraid of fellow citizens of Akwa Ibom in his party who have clearly indicated their interest to be governor of Akwa Ibom State? These politicians are well qualified if you ask me. Whether some of them have the capacity to be governor is what Akwa Ibom people should be left to decide. So, Governor, my advice to you, which I am giving free here (others pay big money to get it) be humble now and recant your mistake. History will judge you harshly if Akwa Ibom implodes and I am afraid you may not have any one to blame.
Former Governor Attah made similar mistake while attempting to impose his son in law on Akwa Ibom State. I can see he is one of your advisers in this journey to Golgotha. Governor Attah, Sir you are about to enter your 2.0 history recreation. Such history never forgives nor forgets so please Sir retrace this mistake for posterity to be kind to you.
For the so-called “faith leaders” “faith fathers” I am sorry none of you fit that description. That is my judgement and I am entitled to it. Nothing you all did leading to and around this drama of the absurd have any characteristics of God or faith. We cannot be cowed nor pranked with make-believe transactional processes cloth as ecclesiastical encounters.
Politics is the art of catering for one’s interest. Therefore, should the interest of Governor Udom, the so called “faith fathers” (I wonder why faith mothers weren’t there…shows how shallow these folks operate) and a few recurring political operatives of Akwa Ibom seasonal politics become more relevant than the interest of the generality of Akwa Ibom people, which is simply embedded in good governance: access to happiness for families, access to good employment and income, access to food and necessaries, security for property and persons and freedom to be humans.
The entrenched political elite in Akwa Ibom Sate have failed its people for the past 15 years, there are minuscular tangible deliverables for the generality of the people of Akwa Ibom State. They should be all ashamed of themselves collectively and individually. Stay tuned…
*Dr. Samuel Samiai Andrews is a Professor of Intellectual
Property Law & USA Ambassador’s Distinguished Scholar
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